Thursday, August 30, 2012

Hey, it's me - God - and I've got this

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.  I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” Genesis 17:1-2

El - Shaddai = All Sufficient God; Almighty God; the God who sustains and nurtures His own; the God who can handle any circumstance that challenges His people

In the Old Testament, this was a primary name God used to reveal Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Genesis 17:1-2 is the first recorded example we have of this name description, and it is used again in several other OT Books of the Bible. As God reveals each new name, He also reveals a new facet of His holy character and personality. With this revelation, God displays His ability to handle any situation that His people may find themselves in and His desire to help and bless His people. In Abram's case, the situation was that both he and his wife were very old and had never been able to have children - and yet God was promising "countless descendants". Completely unthinkable by our standards, yet totally within the scope of God's power and plan.

God reveals a part of Himself in the scripture above. He basically says "Hey it's ME, your God who can meet all of your needs in all things. Don't get tripped up by the problems, obstacles and delays. You just stay faithful to what I am calling you to and let ME handle the rest. Be faithful to ME, obey ME, do life with Me and be holy and I will make an unbreakable promise with you to help you, meet your needs and bless your family beyond your wildest dreams."

I don't know about you, but there have been times when God has whispered some pretty big, scary, and seemingly impossible dreams in my ear. And sometimes I let myself get tripped up by problems, obstacles, doubts and delays and I get discouraged. I do not claim the power of God; instead I focus on my weaknesses and faults and I give a strong hold to Satan - the great deceiver. I listen to Satan's sweet lies, I buy into his fears, and I let him sway and taint my thoughts. When I let Satan have that level of mental power, my faith ALWAYS suffers. I need to make the mental choice to stop focusing on my weakness and start standing in God's power. I need to replace my doubt filled thoughts with the powerful truths of God. If it is His plan - then He will provide His power. Period.  He is after all the all sufficient God - and He wants to draw me close to Him.

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